Alcohol

Lord Fearn: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will ban the sale of alcohol below cost price.

Lord Shutt of Greetland: In the coalition agreement, the Government set out a clear programme of reform around alcohol licensing to tackle the crime and anti-social behaviour that is too often associated with binge drinking in the night-time economy. This included a commitment to ban the sale of alcohol below cost price.
	The Home Office will work closely with other government departments, as well as representatives of the licensed trade, including the supermarkets, to determine how best to effectively implement this commitment, without unduly adding a bureaucratic burden for businesses or impacting on responsible drinkers.
	These changes will be implemented through legislation in the autumn.

Disabled People: UN Convention

Lord Lester of Herne Hill: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will review the reservation stating that Article 27 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (on equal treatment in employment) does not apply to admission into or service in the Armed Forces; and whether they will establish an independent review to determine the risk to the Armed Forces' operational effectiveness of withdrawing the reservation.

Lord Astor of Hever: There are no plans to review the reservation made by the Ministry of Defence to the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities or to establish an independent review to determine the risk of withdrawing the reservation. The continuing need for the Armed Forces exemption was confirmed when Parliament considered what is now the Equality Act 2010.
	The Armed Forces were exempted from the employment provisions of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 (DDA). This exemption was secured because all Armed Forces personnel need to be combat-effective in order to meet a world-wide liability to deploy and to ensure that military health and fitness remain matters for Defence Ministers based on military advice.

Olympic Games 2012

Lord Hoyle: To ask Her Majesty's Government what percentage of tickets at 2012 Olympic Games events will be reserved for the general public.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to ensure a fair distribution of tickets for 2012 Olympic Games events.

Lord Shutt of Greetland: Three quarters of the 10 million tickets available will be open to the public via a ballot process. LOCOG is committed to providing accessible and affordable tickets to achieve full stadia, giving as many people as possible the chance to attend the Games.

Olympic Games 2012

Lord Hoyle: To ask Her Majesty's Government why only Visa credit cards will be accepted for booking tickets for 2012 Olympic Games events.

Lord Shutt of Greetland: As a sponsor of the International Olympic Committee, Visa will be the official card and payment system for London 2012, as it has been with previous Games since 1988. Every type of Visa card will be accepted for booking tickets. Information on alternative methods of payment will be provided in due course.

Police: Helicopters

Lord Monson: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the hourly operational cost of police helicopters, including fuel, maintenance and repairs, depreciation and police remuneration.

Baroness Neville-Jones: The 43 police forces of England and Wales currently have access to 31 helicopters that are able to provide the entire range of air support capabilities. These aircraft are managed through a mixture of in-house and outsourced arrangements. The decision on how this capability should be delivered is currently one for individual police forces to make.
	Some police forces have chosen to contract in this service. This generally incurs a higher hourly rate than those forces that purchase and operate their own aircraft and have responsibility for the pilotage and maintenance costs. It is therefore difficult to provide an accurate hourly operational cost that applies equally across the country. However, it is estimated that this figure is somewhere in the region of, on average, £1,800 to £1,900 per flying hour.
	Chief Constable Alex Marshall, aviation portfolio holder for the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO), is leading a review into the way police air support is currently provided across England and Wales. The review, supported by the National Policing Improvement Agency (NPIA), will identify significant savings that can be made by greater collaboration between forces to deliver the service nationally.

Saudi Arabia

Lord Ahmed: To ask Her Majesty's Government to what extent their relationship with the government of Saudi Arabia will affect the process of reforms there; and whether they will raise the issue of reforms with King Abdullah.

Lord Howell of Guildford: We have a frank and soundly-based relationship with Saudi Arabia and will continue to make clear to the authorities our concerns about reform at ministerial, ambassadorial and working level. Our strategy remains to work with those in Saudi society and government who are advocating reform in order to build indigenous and governmental institutions. This includes raising the issue of reform with members of the Saudi royal family, including King Abdullah, through bilateral meetings and fora such as the Two Kingdoms Dialogue, and working directly with government departments and institutions through targeted project work.

Sewage

Lord Rooker: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether regulations allow water undertakings sufficient capacity to dispose of sewage sludge on agricultural land.

Lord Henley: It is understood from the water industry that there is sufficient overall UK capacity for current requirements to recycle some 1.4m tonnes of dry solids per annum (treated sewage sludge) to agricultural land.

Tote

Lord James of Blackheath: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have for the tote; and what steps they will take to protect the racecourses which it supports.

Lord Shutt of Greetland: My right honourable friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer confirmed in the Budget on 22 June that the Government will, over the next 12 months, resolve the future of the Tote in a way that secures value for the taxpayer while recognising the support the Tote currently provides the racing industry.
	The Government will continue to talk to all parties with an interest in, and with an interest in acquiring, the Tote during that process, and will announce how they intend to proceed as soon as possible.